K Street gears up for Darrell Issa probes

House Republicans say their top priority this year is jobs, and one place they’re already creating work is a few blocks from Capitol Hill, on K Street.

Lobbying shops and law firms are ramping up their investigations practices and promoting their high-end consulting services to corporate clients who might find themselves in the cross hairs of one of the many oversight investigations the GOP plans to launch in the next two years.

Text Size

-

+

reset

POLITICO 44

Two expected beneficiaries of the upswing in investigations are the Podesta Group, a lobby shop, and Dickstein Shapiro, a Washington law firm. Both groups say K Street will see an increase in business from entities that will face questions about stimulus funds, government regulations or a host of other issues congressional panels might probe.

Tony Podesta, the firm’s namesake, said he is increasing his oversight capacity — “it’s a burgeoning area of practice,” Podesta told POLITICO. David Marin, a Podesta investigations lobbyist, said he’s been “sharing stories” from trade associations in response to letters sent by House Oversight and Government Reform Committee Chairman Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) to more than 100 of the trade groups inquiring about the potential pitfall of regulation.

Mark Paoletta, a top investigations lawyer for Dickstein Shapiro, met with a recipient of substantial government stimulus money about representing its interests, anticipating that it might find itself in front of congressional investigators skeptical of the stimulus spending. Dickstein Shapiro also hit the road recently to sell both a health care company and an energy company on its Washington services, mentioning its work in the investigative realm.

Dickstein Shapiro and Podesta aren’t alone. Covington & Burling distributed a flier to its clients, reminding them it can provide “guidance for companies that may be in the cross hairs” of a House oversight committee investigation. It was the second update on oversight it had given clients in a few months.

Firms are reluctant to disclose how much investigatory representation runs, but several K Street sources say preparing a company to respond to a subpoena could cost a corporation between $500,000 and $1 million. This could be in addition to money the company pays to retain a law firm.

When told of the K Street reaction, Issa suggested that those targeted in his probes will need accountants rather than lawyers.

“We’re about money; we’re about waste, fraud and abuse,” Issa told POLITICO. “They don’t have to have lawyers; they have to have accountants. We’re primarily about waste; we’re primarily about efficiency. If there’s outright fraud, I’m sure they’ve already got their lawyers. We’re looking for efficiency in government and efficiency in the private sector by clearing impediments to job creation.”

This clown better not go down the wrong alley he might have to investigate his buddies or even himself. Same old game different players. Did we get fooled again? Have not heard anything about jobs lately have you?

Republican Darrell Issa - a former small-time criminal and now the richest man in the House of Representatives - is at it again. Using his post as the Chairman of the House Government Oversight Committee – Issa is asking the federal government to hand over the identities of every single American who has filed a Freedom of Information Act request. Issa claims he just wants the information to make sure the government is handling FOIA requests in a timely fashion. But considering the guy has already cozied up with big corporations – asking for their help in outlining what federal regulations he should attack – it should be troubling that he also wants the names of whistleblowers who may have targeted these same corporations in the past. Hundreds of thousands of journalists, former business executives, and regular citizens have filed Freedom of Information requests to uncover everything from the expanded influence of the military industrial complex to the delayed prosecution of rampant polluters of our environment. And now Issa – and his corporate buddies – want their names. This guy is on a mission to not only destroy the White House – but to also ensure that nobody stands in the way of corporations that want to continue violating pollution laws and taking advantage of their workers.

Congress shall make no law respecting an establishment of religion, or prohibiting the free exercise thereof; or abridging the freedom of speech, or of the press; or the right of the people peaceably to assemble, and to petition the Government for a redress of grievances.

The Constitution says nothing about money changing hands in this process.

Lazercat2012, since your claim of what Issa has requested grossly overstates (and blatantly misrepresents) the scope and intent of what he's actually asked for (and which the Obama Administration is currently stonewalling him about), perhaps you could also provide some proof, rather than just allegations or claims, of "Republican Darrell Issa - a former small-time criminal and now the richest man in the House of Representatives - is at it again."

Former small-time criminal? Richest man in the House? Really? I didn't know that. So, something more than just your opinion, please.

How much does Dickstein Shapiro and Podesta pay Politico for you to pimp for them? Bad attempt at free advertising. I would be willing to bet that one of the authors of this story are best buds with these two firms and or their employees. Politico will be like the Washington Post and NY Times before you know. Bought and paid for by DC insiders. Silly silly silly story.

Hey Issa you better look to your own backyard--your boy Boehner is going to be exposed for sleeping with lobbyists and giving sweet rewards in return--he has ethics issues and that's where your investigating needs to start

All these useless partisan investigations will cost American companies hundreds of millions of dollars. I wonder how many jobs could have been saved or created with that money - if they didn't have to deal with Issa?

If Mubarak releases info about torturing for U.S. during Bush/Chaney regime, especially if he saved the kind of torture tapes that the CIA destroyed, that story will suck all the oxygen out of Issa's manufactured outrage.